1. It’s taken 23 years for acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami’s novel “Norwegian Wood” to move from the black and white page to the silver screen. And it hadn’t been for award-winning movie director Tran Anh Hung, there’s every chance it wouldn’t have happened at all, the author having steadfastly spurned approaches over the years. Five years on from the first contact between the two artists, the seminal story of love, death and the loss of innocence got the full red carpet premiere treatment, screening in competition at the Venice Film festival.

2. In the starkest piece of arithmetic of this and many other weeks, Japan’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research calculated that Japan’s staggeringly high suicide rate not only takes a huge psychological toll, it also cost the country’s economy $32 billion last year. Perhaps the shock of the number’s scale may prompt more serious reflection in the country on addressing the problem at large: certainly, leading lights of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan have at least been talking about it.

3. One of Japan’s great political survivors took center-stage this week. No, not DPJ presidential candidate Ichiro Ozawa: instead, veteran Hokkaido legislator Muneo Suzuki was in the limelight, and unfortunately for supporters, the news isn’t good. A ruling by the country’s Supreme Court confirmed a conviction over public works kickbacks, and the 62-year-old is likely to spend some time in jail. Or… is he?

5. Japanese consumers’ abiding fascination for luxury goods has long seen the country bankroll many a high-end retailer. But as the economy sags, tastes swirl and the yen surges, smart shoppers are finding new ways to get their luxury kicks that don’t involve paying high prices in fancy Omotesando stores: Online shopping and trips to U.S.-style outlet malls are on the rise.

About Japan Real Time

Japan Real Time is a newsy, concise guide to what works, what doesn’t and why in the one-time poster child for Asian development, as it struggles to keep pace with faster-growing neighbors while competing with Europe for Michelin-rated restaurants. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, the site provides an inside track on business, politics and lifestyle in Japan as it comes to terms with being overtaken by China as the world’s second-biggest economy. You can contact the editors at japanrealtime@wsj.com